The Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation (PDFF) is thrilled to announce the return of the highly anticipated 9th Annual Reinventing Delaware Dinner, scheduled for Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at the Audion at the STAR Tower, situated on the University of Delaware’s Newark campus. As a beacon of innovation, this year’s event promises to bring together visionaries, business leaders, community stakeholders, and creative minds from across the state to foster collaboration and share groundbreaking ideas aimed at catalyzing job growth, enhancing the economy, and making Delaware an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.
Reinventing Delaware offers a unique opportunity for the public to submit their ideas for a chance to join an exclusive gathering of industry influencers for dinner, which is meticulously limited to just 100 guests. PDFF invites the public to submit their visionary ideas through their website, now through September 30. Ideas can be conceptual, and creativity is encouraged.
During the dinner, participants will present their ideas and engage in an interactive voting process to highlight the most promising proposals, fostering an atmosphere of collaboration and forward thinking. Guests will receive a three-course meal accompanied by an open bar. Post-event, a dedicated committee will evaluate all of the ideas presented and select the best ideas to join the first phase of the proven idea development process. These ideas will progressively be whittled down to a top three, and the finalists will continue through the process designed to transform their visionary concepts into action. At the end of this 6-month process, one exceptional idea will be honored as the top idea of the year and win a cash prize to propel their idea forward.
Previous ideas fostered through the process include Zip Code Wilmington, Intern Delaware, The Warehouse, Pay for Success, WilmInvest, Wilmington Green Box, Delaware Creative Economy, and most recently, Clean Hydrogen, Zero Homelessness, Spotlight Delaware, and #Move2Delaware.
“The structure to which an idea is developed and brought to fruition in six months that’s something that probably took me six years to build,” said Andrew Cottone, 2023 Reinventing Delaware Winner and President & CEO of Adesis. “I’m really excited about the future entrepreneurs in the State of Delaware partnering with the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation. They’re going to be able to avoid a lot of the mistakes I learned the hard way.”
The 9th Annual Reinventing Delaware is proudly sponsored by Barclays, the University of Delaware’s HORN Entrepreneurship, Discover Bank, and JP Morgan Chase. Sponsorship opportunities are still available, and all proceeds will directly contribute to the robust idea development process.
To submit an idea, explore sponsorship avenues, or learn more about Reinventing Delaware, visit petedupontfreedomfoundation.org/reinventing-delaware. The submission window will remain open until September 30, 2023, with invitations set to be disseminated in early October.